Creamy Vegan Lemon Brussels Sprout Pasta

This creamy vegan lemon brussels sprout pasta is super healthy, takes just 15 minutes to make and tastes just like your favorite creamy pasta without the cream. {V GF}

Omagaaaad. The amount of stupidly easy yet somehow super delicious recipes coming out of my kitchen lately are just mind blowing. And yeah, I say omagaaaaad in real life. Just like that. I’m annoying.

Seriously, though? I used to feel like you had to have a lot of ingredients and spend a long time making something that would be amazing. I couldn’t wrap my head around recipes that used only a handful of ingredients and still came out amazing. In fact, I wouldn’t make them. I didn’t believe they’d actually be that good and I chose to continue to go to great lengths to make great food at home. Think: maple orange pan seared duck breasts with sweet potato brown butter gnocchi and broccoli on a random Tuesday night… Lasagna that took two days to make because I spent an entire day on the sauce and then the next making pasta and putting the whole cheesy saucy carb casserole together on a Wednesday/Thursday. I legit cooked like that almost everyday for a good year or so and, in fact, I’m pretty sure that’s why my husband married me. They say a way to a man’s heart is through his belly, right?

Except I stopped cooking like that after that first year because hi, the just-moved-in-to-our-first-home-together honeymoon was over and I also learned that he’ll literally eat almost anything I put in front of him if it involves cheese and carbs. I also learned that I’m equally happy having a big baked potato with lotsa butter and vegetables as I am having lasagna… so what’s the point in all the fuss all the time? Answer: There isn’t. Not on a regular day. Only once or twice a month and on holidays.

So for the last year I’ve been keepin’ things simple in the kitchen and lately I’ve somehow been making everything even more simple than before. This pasta, I think, takes the cake though for recent lazy girldiscoveries. It is literally so easy and painless to make that the other night I managed to cook two entirely different dinners with different sauces (one for Mark, one for me since he isn’t a fan of brussels), tidied up the kitchen and was sat down to eat in 20 minutes flat. It was kind of mind blowing and so I did the same thing three nights in a row and I’m pretty convinced it’s going to be a weekly staple. I seriously can’t get enough.

So we’re now all familiar with the magic that is cashew butter + waterand this won’t be the last recipe that shows you how magical it really is but man alive, this creamy vegan lemon brussels sprout pasta is really taking it over the edge. The first time I made the sauce I went to the effort of sauteeing an onion in some olive oil then adding it to the rest of the ingredients and blended it all up and was really quite happy with it but the second time I said ‘screw it’ and just threw some onion powder in it and you know what? Just as good.

SO we’ve got water+cashew butter+lemon zest+lemon juice+onion powder+nutiva buttery coconut oil+salt. We put them in a blender, blending it up and then the sauce is done. You do this while your pasta cooks (obviously) which takes max 11 minutes depending on the type of pasta you use. While the pasta is cooking you also saute your sprouts OROROR steam some broccoli <– I liked that just as much if not more…. which takes max 5-7 minutes whichever route you go. The sauce is going to be crazy thin and runny when you first make it. That’s okay. As you know, when nut butters are combined with liquid and heat, they thicken up like cr-a-zy so don’t fret.

Once the pasta is cooked, save some pasta water then drain the rest. Add it back to the pot along with the sauce and place it over medium heat. Keep stirring until the sauce gets all thick and creamy (like 1-2 minutes) then toss in your sprouts and add extra pasta water until you get the consistency you’re happy with. I serve mine with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and maybe a pinch of salt and… umm… because I’m not a vegan I add asiago to mine BUT you can totally use vegan parm or nutritional yeast if you feel so inclined.

For the record, the Nutiva buttery coconut oil<–(Affiliate link!) isn’t optional unless you’re not vegan in which cause you can use butter. The coconut oil takes the sauce from good to great and I swear there’s only a tiny bit used. Why bother making a vegan cream sauce and turning it non-vegan with butter if you don’t have the oil? Because the cashew base is still hella healthier than heavy cream, coats the pasta in the same way, is ridiculously cheaper, and it tastes exactly the same. I promise you. This is winter comfort food that’s also secretly super healthy.

While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Combine all first 6 ingredients in a blender and blend until completely incorporated. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sprouts, cut side down and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium.

Once the sprouts have started to turn golden brown (2 minutes or so), stir them around and continue cooking until they\re soft yet still a bit firm... you don't want mushy sprouts. Once they're done, check for seasoning and set aside.

Combine cooked pasta and sauce in the pot you used to cook the pasta and place back on the stove over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thick and creamy, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Taste for salt, adding extra salt or lemon juice to your taste. Add the sprouts, stir to combine then divide between 3 bowls.

Top with vegan parm or asiago and eat warm.

Notes

Pasta is best eaten immediately after making it however, it can be reheated on the stove top in a pot with a little extra water, salt & lemon juice. Stir often to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.You want your sauce to taste saltier than you would like it because once it hits the pasta, it will nolonger taste salty. I always end up using ½ tsp but you can start with less and add more to your taste when the sauce is mixed with the pasta.

Primary Sidebar

WELCOME TO THE PRETEND BAKER

I’m Amanda Reynolds. A wife, cook, baker, pretend picture taker and lover of all things fall.
There is something magical about taking simple ingredients and creating a comforting, cozy meal or delicious, homey baked good. There is little else that can ease my stress or lift my spirits more than the act of creating something with my own, small hands. Read More

Footer

I’m Amanda Reynolds. A wife, cook, baker, pretend picture taker and lover of all things fall. I hope you’ll follow along as I cook delicious healthy food, try to live a more compassionate life and hopefully start each day a little better than we were yesterday.